


Chains of Destiny: The Castle of Memories

by LizLoves1997



Series: Chains of Destiny Crossover (Kingdom Hearts x Soul Eater) [2]
Category: Fairy Tail, Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater
Genre: Castle of Nightmares, F/M, Namine and Solar are in danger, Protect the girls, Sora and Maka both have issues, Start of the Riku x Tsubaki pairing, The Organization are dicks except for Axel, Welcome the Replicas of the Dark Wielders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2020-07-19 12:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19974166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizLoves1997/pseuds/LizLoves1997
Summary: Following the defeat of Ansem - The Seeker of Darkness, Sora and Maka continue their search for King Mickey, Master Makarov, Tsubaki and Riku. But soon they both stumble onto a strange castle and find out that they are slowing losing their memories. Will they discover the castle's dark secret or will they lose everything they have to give?





	1. Prologue Trailer: Before the Castle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater nor Fairy Tail – They are owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Atsushi Okubo and Hiro Mashima.

Prologue Trailer: Before the Castle!

"Come on, Patty! You've gotta apply more pressure! I know you've got this!"

"I'm t-trying… *slow breathing* I'm trying my best, big sis!"

Two teenage girls were currently practicing their skills and moves with key-shaped weapons in an unknown training room somewhere.

The first girl was tall individual with dirt-blonde hair that reached her mid-back, dark blue eyes and slightly sun-kissed skin. Her attire consisted tight sleeveless red turtleneck belly shirt with a white tie, dark wash jeans and black high-heeled boots. Lastly, her only accessories were a pair of silver bracelets on both wrists.

The second girl whom the tall one called Patty was a middle-heighted individual with chin-length, bright blonde hair that had bangs and light blue eyes. Like her opponent, she also wore a tight sleeveless red turtleneck belly shirt with a tie and black high-heeled boots, however her lower half attire were a pair of bubble shorts.

Both were wielding strange key-shaped weapons but with different designs and features – the tall one's weapon was based on make-up and romance whilst Patty's resembled a giraffe's.

The girls were currently practicing their skills, but it seems that the tall one was going to win this one due to Patty getting tired from all the fighting and clashing they were doing with the key-shaped weapons.

"Come on, Patty… don't quit on me now. Just a minute or two and then we'll have a small break." The tall one promised as Patty was sweating like crazy and taking deep breaths. "I'm trying, Liz… R-really… B-but I'm getting tired."

The tall one now known as Liz looked at Patty with an unimpressed look on her face. "Patty, no harm will come if you just last for another minute or two. Come on, sis… I know you've got this. Please." Liz pleaded with her little sister to have another round as Patty looked at her with the sweat still coming down.

The medium-heighted teenager thought to herself. _'I don't know how long I'm going to last… I'm to break down. At the same time though… I can't give up now. Sis and I have been training for weeks in the hopes that we might join Maka and her boyfriend Sora one day with the cool Keyblades. If I give up now, it will show how weak and stupid I am just like back in Death City… I can't. I'm not going to give up!'_

Patty sighed as her lips twisted into a small grin. "Alright, sis… get ready! I'm not done fighting yet!" Liz smiled yet again and prepared for another round. "Remember, Patty… I won't go easy on you!"

"Neither will I!" The two sisters began to practice their skills and abilities with their Keyblades once more for the next two to three minutes…

_**(Later…)** _

"A-awesome battle, big sis!" Patty complimented with a grin as she drank from a water bottle whilst sitting on the ground – sweat was streaming down all over her face. "You weren't that bad yourself, Patty. We keep training like this and one day we'll be ready to head straight onto the front lines in order to help Maka and her boyfriend… what was his name, by the way?" Liz asked whilst trying to remember the name of her friend's love interest.

Patty was finished with the drinking. "Sora! His name was Sora." She answered as Liz picked up a water bottle and drank half of the contents from it. _'Clean fresh water… just the way I like it.'_ She thought to herself.

Once she was done, she sighed and wiped the sweat off her face. "Sora, huh? It's Japanese name if I'm not mistaken… I think it was related to the sky or something."

Patty grinned and nodded. "Yep-yep! Also, I asked Kid what Sora's name meant and he said it was 'sky' in Japanese." Liz smiled gently as she ruffled her little sister's hair and then gave a loud sigh. "God… it's been so long since we've left Death City with Lord Death and Kid… I'm starting to miss it. A lot."

"You ever wanna go back, big sis?" Patty asked with a curious look as Liz nodded. "Yep… it's our home after all. Though I pray that those creepy and disgusting Heartless aren't around anymore in Death City."

"Don't worry big sis! Sora and Maka took care of that big old meanie known as Ansem! Plus, Master Yen Sid and Lord Death told us that the Heartless population has been reduced to a low minimum! So, no more scary creatures in Death City, no siree!" Patty assured her with a mock salute as Liz sighed. "Still… those words that Maka's grandfather spoke to her and her friends… about a mysterious Organization working towards an unknown goal. Who are they and what do they want with all of us? How are Sora, Maka and every-one of us the key to all of this, Patty?" Liz asked as Patty frowned gently and gave a small shrug. "I dunno, sis… Maybe there's more to this 'Organization' and Mr. Xehanort than meets the eye."

"Maybe… I'm curious as to when in the past and future will we all meet Xehanort once again." Patty nodded in agreement with Liz's sentence – Xehanort is definitely a mysterious and enigmatic person with big plans behind the scenes. Whatever this 'Organization' was after or whomever they were, no doubt that the silver-haired man with golden eyes had something to do with it.

The sisters prayed that Sora, Maka and their friends would be okay. They might have bested the leader of the Heartless at the Door to Darkness… but something in the back of Liz and Patty's minds whispered that this was just the beginning of a new war. Not unlike the battles with Asura, the Kishin or the witches…

"Whatever this 'Organization' or Xehanort is after, we'll all put a stop to them, right big sis?" Patty asked with a determined smile on her face as Liz nodded with a grin. "Yep! Although, we still have to train harder and harder if we wish to catch up to Maka or her boyfriend's level. Plus, once we improve… we'll finally have a chance to go out there and find out if what we were told was the truth." Upon hearing those words, Patty frowned a little bit. "Big sis… are you talking about Mom?"

Liz nodded with a sigh. "Yeah… I still don't know how she fits into all of this: did she really abandon us on the streets of Brooklyn? Was she really a prostitute whom didn't mean to get pregnant with us… or is there more to the story than meets the eye, Patty? Was our Mom really a wielder like us… did she gave up her life to protect us? One day, I hope we both find out."

Patty couldn't do anything else except nod with a sad smile on her face. "We'll see big sis… maybe we'll learn the truth whilst fighting the bad guys. Like Xehanort, Maleficent, Medusa, etc." Liz ruffled Patty's hair yet again with a smile and then sighed. "I gotta admit… us keeping tabs on Sora and Maka along with their friends is an interesting job. Shame we can't intervene yet. Would have loved to kick some bad guy butt…" Liz admitted as she recalled how she, her sister and their meister Kid were assigned to keep an eye on the chosen wielders of the Keyblade.

It was an easy task to handle… yet one thing that annoyed the dirt-blonde teenager was how she couldn't get into the fight against the bad guys alongside Patty and Lord Death's son. However, they weren't ready to enter the battle against the forces of darkness just yet… one day, maybe. But for now – it was still training for the sisters.

"Same!" Patty shaped her fists into boxing gloves and began punching the air whilst Liz laughed – sometimes her little sister was gift from the angels. She was very glad that she had someone like her sibling to cheer her up from time to time.

"Liz! Patty! Its time for dinner! Come downstairs please!" A familiar to the sisters' voice spoke from downstairs – it was the sisters' meister and friend Death the Kid.

A loud rumbling noise occurred in Patty's stomach. "Oops… sorry, big sis." The medium-heighted teen apologized. "I'm not deaf, Patty. Your stomach is rumbling… I'm hungry as well. Come on…" Liz got up as she stretched her arms. "Let's go and have something to eat. I'm sure Kid and the Master have made a pretty good meal for tonight." Patty got up and grinned. "Yay! Can't wait to eat!"

"Tomorrow, we continue with our training… along with keeping an eye on Sora and Maka. Understood?" Patty's grin was gone, as she pouted like a little kid. "I don't wanna…" She childishly whined before Liz crossed her arms and gave her a disappointed look. "If you don't behave… no dinner for you tonight. Understood?"

Upon hearing those words, Patty nodded in fear as Liz grinned. "Good. Now, let's go and grab something to eat before the food gets cold." Patty saluted as Liz opened the door of the training room the sisters were in. The younger sibling left to go and get some dinner.

After Patty left, Liz sighed once more. She looked up at the sky-lighted roof where the night sky and stars were. "Sora… Maka… wherever you both are… be careful. Stay safe and avoid this 'Organization' as best you can…" The dirt-blonde left the room and closed the door.

_**(Far away…)** _

Maka's eyes snapped open as she was disturbed in her sleep. Sitting up, she looked around for any signs on the intruder who spoke the names of both her and Sora… but nobody was around.

She sighed in relief when she noticed that she was still at the campsite where her boyfriend Sora was alongside her companions and friends Donald, Goofy, Lucy Heartfilia and Lisanna Strauss.

So, the main question – who spoke the names of her and her boyfriend? Why did he/she told her them to be careful? Questions that held no answers unfortunately…

Maka looked at the sky and saw that it was still night with the moon out. Huh, weird…

The teenager sighed and then laid back down onto the grassy ground. "I guess it was just a bad dream… maybe a few more _*yawns*_ of sleep would do me good…" Closing her eyes, slumber overtook her yet again.

She was unaware of two figures in black coats watching her and her group from afar…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: *the camera fades from the night sky with the moon and the heroes of Light to a black and starry space. The title 'Chains of Destiny – The Castle of Memories.' appear from out of nowhere.*
> 
> Ladies and Gentlemen, Dearest Readers and Watchers… after nearly two and a half years, we are finally here! The next chapter in the 'Sora and Maka' saga is here… Chains of Destiny – The Castle of Memories. I know that you all have waited for this moment for so long and its finally here! Hooray!
> 
> I have big plans for this one… very big plans… especially the torture, humiliation and fun for our favorite couple Sora and Maka! XD – The poor dearies… they are about to walk into straight oblivion (literally! XD)
> 
> A couple of things I want to discuss with all of you – first, no need to fret about the cover art (already came prepared *wink-wink to Sharkzero for his awesome work on the CoM cover art*); second, I've been thinking about the whole Tsubaki pairing thing: would you either ship her with Soul or Tsubaki? Yes, I know I said two years ago that the SoulxTsubaki ship is staying… but right now, doubts are appearing in my head. Lots of doubts… anyways, your suggestions can be submitted via the review box or I can make a poll for it. Whichever you prefer; third, Liz and Patty will have a role to play alongside their meister Death the Kid… you'll just have to wait and see what they will be doing in the story. Plus, I really need to work out a plan for them. (Already have some things planned for Sora and Maka.); fourth, these last two years… I'll admit it: I have mixed opinions on Maka (on the one hand, I like her… but on the other, I hate her. It's like one of those love-hate things you can't let go. I still like her… but… her personality is somewhat that of a bitchy high school drama queen student – pardon my language.); fifth, but most important – I'm going to throw some sweet surprises in Castle Oblivion… mainly related to Maka, Lucy and Lisanna XD (I'm horrible human-being… blame me. LOL)
> 
> I think that's all I have to cover up for now… more info and stuff will be added as the story progresses… also, I have an important rule to add: whenever someone posts a guest review, I want to see just one thing: positive stuff. Suggestions are also okay so long as they aren't including more than just a couple of sentences (three, four or five) – AND IN THESE SUGGESTIONS, I DON'T WANNA SEE STUFF THAT IS ALREADY OBVIOUS AND WILL BE WRITTEN IN THE FUTURE CHAINS OF DESTINY STORIES! *Looks at CaptainImaginat* - I'm watching you…
> 
> Alright, that's enough of that… time to get this puppy on the air and let you read it cause I know you've been waiting a long time for this!
> 
> Without further ado… welcome to Chains of Destiny – The Castle of Memories! Enjoy the trailer reading…
> 
> *Narrator leaves the scene as the story film begins to play for everyone…*


	2. Chapter 1: Into Oblivion Itself!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Well, folks… its finally time to begin the thrilling sequel to Chains of Destiny – The Keyblade's Chosen Ones! Welcome to the first chapter of Castle of Memories! Oh, boy… I am so excited to write the sequel. As I stated in the prologue, I have many ideas in mind for what I'm about to do in this story… especially with Sora and Maka. *evil laugh*
> 
> Well, enough of keeping you all waiting… let's get on with the writing! I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater or Fairy Tail: they belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Atsushi Okubo and Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 1: Into Oblivion Itself!

The fire was continuing to burn – it showed no signs of giving up or extinguishing itself. _'Its not even giving up… impressive.'_ 14-year old Maka Albarn thought to herself as she continued to stare at the fire for about half an hour since she had woken up… not by her choice of course.

It felt like forever since Sora, Maka and their friends had defeated Ansem – The Seeker of Darkness and closed the Final Door along with restoring the worlds back to normal. Unfortunately, it was a pyrrhic victory…

Kairi, who turned out to be her long-lost sister and her weapon partner Soul had both returned to the Destiny Island to wait for their loved ones to come back. Yet, that would have to wait…

Sora and Maka's best friends Tsubaki Nakatsukasa and Riku were both trapped in the Realm of Darkness alongside King Mickey and Master Makarov. The Heroes needed to find them before returning home and resuming their peaceful lives.

As Maka continued to stare at the fire, she couldn't help but wonder how Soul and Kairi were doing back on Destiny Islands… they were no doubt alright, that much was certain. But would she and Sora see them again one day?

"Hey, babe. Having trouble sleeping?" A familiar to Maka voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking up she saw a grinning Sora with his arms behind his head.

Maka nodded. "Yeah… You as well?" She asked as her boyfriend nodded back and sat down next to her.

The loved birds started to stare at the fire as the night breeze flew by them – they started to shiver. "Ugh… so cold…" Maka spoke up.

"H-here… let me warm you up." Sora suggested before wrapping himself and Maka in a hug.

Maka smiled gently and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Sora… my lovely sky prince." Sora smiled back and replied. "Anything for my princess."

In response to hearing the word 'princess', Maka giggled as she and Sora continued to stare at the fire without no care in the world. Everything was calm and peaceful…

Maka gave a happy sigh. "It's a peaceful night…" Her boyfriend agreed with a nod. "Yep. Although, you should see how the night sky and stars are over at Destiny Islands. When I was little, Riku and I used to sit and watch them all the time."

Upon hearing Riku's name, Maka frowned a little bit much to Sora's concern. "Hey, are you okay…?"

Maka nodded but her frown didn't disappear. "Yeah… I'm just wondering how my best friend is doing along with Riku in the dark realm."

"Oh…" She brought up a good point – Riku and Tsubaki were stuck in the dark realm along with the king and the master.

"Yeah… do you miss Riku, by the way?" Maka asked with Sora immediately nodding. "Yea… I just hope nothing serious has happened to him or Tsubaki. Don't worry, babe… we'll save and bring them home very soon."

Maka gave her boyfriend a small smile. "Yep. We will… plus, I have a long-lost sister to catch up and a weapon partner to smuggle in hugs."

"You sure do, Maka. I'm still surprised that you and Kairi are related though… then again, she did appear one day on our islands with no memory whatsoever." Sora told his girlfriend.

"She didn't remember anything from her old life or me at all?" Maka asked with the spiky-haired boy nodding. "Nothing. No memories of who she really was, where she came from or if her family was still around."

"Hmmm… guess whatever spell my parents casted on both me and Kairi really made us forget about our old lives. Damn…" Maka cursed as Sora petted her hands gently. "Don't feel too bad, babe. Your parents didn't have any choice in the matter… especially concerning Xehanort."

Upon hearing his name, Maka gritted her teeth in anger – Xehanort… the man who ruined Sora and Maka's lives, made Lucy and Lisanna's friends Wendy and Levy embrace the darkness… the old bastard who unleashed the Heartless to many worlds using another servant known as Ansem… the man who turned out to be Maka and Kairi's long lost grandfather.

After everything that had happened, Maka still didn't know what Xehanort wanted in the end… power, knowledge, his plans being completed? She had no idea. But one thing was certain – the old guy was a cunning person with plans that were awaiting completion. Along with that mysterious 'Organization' which the younger version of Maka's grandfather revealed before the heroes closed the Final Door.

Who was the 'Organization'? What exactly did they want? Was Xehanort leading them? These were the questions that were on Maka's mind… unfortunately no answers were revealed yet. Maybe very soon… in the near future.

Maka sighed heavily. "Look, Sora… maybe I can forgive my parents because mine and Kairi's lives were in danger due to my grandfather. Yet, I can freely say that I'm angry with them due to having another life that I knew next to nothing about. Sora, when I find them… they'll have many answers to offer." She told him.

"You definitely deserve some answers, Maka. Just… don't go overboard, kay?" Sora pleaded with her as Maka looked at him and then sighed. "I'll try my best… but no promises."

"That's all I ask. Although, I must admit… when you get angry, you become very cute." Upon hearing that Maka blushed heavily. "N-no! That's not true! Shut up!" Maka turned away to avoid being seen by Sora who was grinning.

"Cutie!" Sora began before Maka responded. "S-shut up! Stop it, Sora!" But Sora didn't pay attention to her. "You get a lot cuter whenever you get mad." Maka's blushed increased as she pulled out a book from out of nowhere and began to whisper quietly to herself. "Maka…"

Without even sensing it or trying to get away, Sora immediately felt the book being slammed into his head as Maka finished her ultimate punishment technique with the following word. "CHOP!"

Sora laid on the ground with a blood fountain coming from his head as Maka put away the book in her large cloak and then giggled at the sight of Sora's knocked-out form due to the Maka-Chop. Serves him right for teasing her!

Maka sighed happily as she leaned down and kisses Sora's head. "Don't tease me next time, my spiky-haired idiot."

Sora laid unconscious on the ground for more than a couple of seconds before regaining his sense and rubbing his bleeding head. "Ouch… Maka, why'd you do that?" He asked while looking at her.

"You deserve it cause I'm not someone you should be teasing, Sora. I am your girlfriend after all." Maka explained as Sora continued rubbing his head. "Is this how Soul feels whenever he does something bad?"

Maka shrugged with an innocent look on her face. "Hmmm… maybe."

"Maka, come on…" Sora got up but continued to rub the bloody part of his head as Maka giggled.

"Wow… so you two are the ones who defeated the Seeker of Darkness. Impressive." A new voice spoke up catching Sora and Maka's attention.

Turning around, they both were taken aback at what they saw – a mysterious person wearing a black coat of some kind with the hood raised to make sure his/her face wasn't visible.

Sora and Maka got up and took a defensive stance. "You! You wear a cloak just like the mysterious figure that attacked me and Kairi back in Hollow Bastion!" Maka told the mystery figure as Sora looked at her with a confused look. "Maka, you know this person?" The spiky-haired boy asked but Maka shook her head.

"Not this person in general… but the cloak… I recognize it. Way back I told you guys about a mystery man wearing a black coat and attacking me and my sister, remember?" Sora now knew what Maka was talking about – back in Hollow Bastion, she and Kairi told the story of how a mysterious being in a black cloak attacked both her and her sister with strange abilities like creating energy blades, orbs, shields, etc.

"Hmmm… so what the Superior told us was true: you and your sister did indeed battle him back in Hollow Bastion. Impressive." The mysterious figure complimented.

"The… Superior? Who's that?" Sora asked with the mystery figure chuckling. "Why, dear boy… it's the leader of the 'Organization'."

Upon hearing 'the Organization', Sora and Maka immediately went on high alert – was this person a part of the 'Organization'?

"Are you a member of this 'Organization'? If you are… then who are you exactly?" Maka asked as the mystery figure crossed its arms. "Hmph. You both think you are so clever to ask me questions like that… but you aren't wise enough to know about us. Not yet anyways…"

That answer didn't satisfy the couple at all – especially Maka. "Listen, wise-ass… we're in no mood for fun and games right now. Tell us everything we want to know or else."

"Or else what?" The mystery figure asked with small chuckles.

"Or else we'll beat the info out of you." Sora declared with a glare as he and Maka took out their Keyblades and prepared for a fight – surprisingly, the mystery figure didn't flinch. "So… you two really are the chosen wielders of the Keyblade."

"What of it?" Maka asked suspiciously without dismissing her weapon.

"Well, for one thing… I'm not here to fight. But I'm not going to answer any of your questions." The mysterious figure's reply didn't satisfy Sora or Maka at all.

"And why the hell not?" Maka asked as the mysterious figure turned around. "Well… if we fight right, I'll beat you two in an instant and I know you don't want that."

Sora and Maka wondered what the figure meant by that exactly. "What do you mean?" Sora asked with a glare on his face.

"Hmph… you both desire the need to find your missing friends, correct?" Sora and Maka were taken aback – how did this guy know what their goals were?

"How do you know what we want?" Maka asked as the figure chuckled yet again. "I can tell you… or… I'd rather let you find out all by yourselves."

Maka got mad. "Listen, asshole! I'm getting tired of these constant riddles of yours… you either tell us what we want or things will get serious. Believe you me!" She threatened as her grip on the Keyblade tightened.

"Yeah!" Sora agreed as he prepared for a fight alongside his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, the mystery figure just laughed and clapped its hands. "You two are truly a riot! I almost regret what I'm about to do to you both… but if you both wish to extract the answers from me… so be it!" Then the figure snapped its fingers as a large corridor of darkness appeared behind both Sora and Maka much to their shock.

The couple didn't have the time to get away as a huge gust of wind blew them straight inside the portal. "SORA!" Maka screamed as she grabbed her boyfriend very quickly. "I'VE GOT YOU!" Sora replied as the couple held on inside the portal.

As soon as Sora and Maka were inside the portal, it closed immediately with the cloaked figure chuckling. "Phase 1 of the plan is completed. Number XI should be pleased… with Sora and Maka inside Castle Oblivion, our dear memory witch and her companion can begin the manipulations. So… that just leaves a couple of things here." The cloaked figure stopped speaking as it looked at the campsite where Sora and Maka's companions were.

And thus… the grand plan had begun!

_**(Meanwhile…)** _

Sketching – it was something that she was quite familiar with it. She didn't consider it a hobby though… more like a means to pass the time since the castle wasn't exactly a place she would call a safe haven. To her, it was a prison.

The young girl was currently sketching something that resembled a white-colored hallway with two teenagers standing in it – a boy with spiky brown-hair and a girl with ash-blonde hair that was tied in pigtails. Eventually, the young individual who was sketching got up and walked over to a cage where a small doll with blonde hair was residing in it.

The little girl sighed to herself – she felt just like that doll. A prisoner of this castle… no way to escape. Nothing except follow the orders of your captors who promise you freedom in the end.

There was no way in or out…

Once you've stepped into Castle Oblivion, nothing but total Oblivion awaited you and your fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: WHAM, gotcha you all! Last night, I finished the first chapter of the story, but I decided to put the Author's Notes today since I was too tired and too sleepy to handle that… Sorry, guys and gals. My bad… ^^"
> 
> Anyways, sorry this chapter took so long to write. My brain was constantly refusing to cooperate with writing and finishing the chapter… sometimes I truly hate it whenever it does that. In the end, I finished the chapter and I can finally post it… thank god for that!
> 
> I truly hope you all enjoy what I've written… believe me when I say that it's a taste of things to come for our heroes. Also, can anyone guess who the mysterious black cloaked figure is? I'll give you a hint… its not one of the six members that were sent to Castle Oblivion to instigate the revolt. More like… someone who came from Death City. Oops, spoilers! XD
> 
> So, yeah… I think that's everything I have to say for now. Time to post this bad boy on the site and get to writing the other stuff I have planned. I seriously have so much crap to write… its not even funny anymore.
> 
> Well… that's it for me. I'm off to start writing another story chapter for another fanfiction. Provided my brain agrees to cooperate with me… LOL.
> 
> See you all next time! Bye and later!


	3. Chapter 2: Back into the Past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: *Frustrated sigh* So… I bet you are all wondering the exact same thing – where have I been and why haven't I updated any of my stories recently?
> 
> I'll tell you why in a couple of reasons:
> 
> I've lost interest in writing for a while (hopefully I'll get back into the passion soon);
> 
> These days whilst trying to write… I keep getting distracted for reasons unknown – mainly because of me playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate;
> 
> I wanted to write once again… no matter what. But then I remembered why I slowed down writing… two annoying guest users that don't stop sending me annoying reviews… NO MATTER WHAT!
> 
> Look, I wish to apologize to anyone who has waited a long time for me to update… but I just… I'm sorry. Sorry that I made you all wait. I just don't know why I lost my writing passion as of late - Stress for the exams, dealing with family bullshit, not in a writing mood these days? – I don't know tbh…
> 
> Anyways, I present to you the next chapter of Castle of Memories – I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater or Fairy Tail – Tetsuya Nomura, Hiro Mashima and Atsushi Okubo.
> 
> Enjoy and happy reading.

Chapter 2: Back into the Past.

"Sora, wake up! Please, wake up!" A soft groan escaped the unconscious Sora as he began to rub his head and wondering what the hell was going- Oh, wait! Now he was starting to remember.

He and Maka were sitting and talking by the campfire during the peaceful night when all of a sudden, a mysterious person wearing a black coat interrupted the couple's moment. In attempting to extract answers to their questions, Sora and Maka were flung into a dark portal leading to who-knows-where.

"Oh, thank god… Sora, you're okay." That was no doubt the voice of Maka which was filled with concern for her boyfriend's safety.

"M-maka…?" Sora opened his eyes slowly as his vision was somewhat blurry and groggily – he began to look around whilst getting up. "Sora, thank goodness… you okay, love?"

Maka helped him stand up as he rubbed the back of his head. "I've got a minor case of a headache or two due to the black-coated person throwing us through the portal… but I'm fine for now. How about you?" Sora asked as Maka crossed her arms. "As well as it can be expected… by the way, we're both in some kind of castle it seems."

"Huh?" Sora was done scratching the back of his head as his vision cleared up – looking around the area, he noticed that he and Maka were in a white-colored corridor that features infrequent plinths along with sculptures made with a flower motif. "A castle, huh?" Sora asked with Maka nodding.

"Yeah… at least I think we're in a castle. I'm not too sure…" Sora looked at her with a confused look. "Who told you that we are in a castle?" He asked with Maka shrugging. "I… don't know to be honest. For some reason, I felt like we are in a castle."

Sora scratched the back of his head – he didn't know how to respond to that. How could Maka think that she is in some kind of- wait a minute…

"Huh… that's strange." Sora responded making Maka look at him. "What's strange, Sora?"

"Odd… but I think you might be right. This is definitely a castle…" Maka was a little bit surprised with his answer. "You… agree with me?" She asked.

Sora nodded. "I dunno why… but I definitely think that this is a castle. Something just told me, kay?" Maka scratched the back of her head – why did she and Sora think that they were in a castle?

"Hmm… call me crazy on this, Sora… but something told me that this is a castle as well." Maka replied with Sora crossing his hand. "Then we both aren't going crazy… we're definitely in some kind of castle. Guess the mystery person wearing the cloak brought us here via the dark portal."

"But why? That's the question." Maka asked with Sora looking down and closing his eyes – he didn't have a clue.

"Perhaps I might answer that." Sora and Maka's eyes widened as they heard a new voice that sounded male behind them. The couple turned around and came face to face with a tall figure dressed in a black cloak with the hood down to cover his face.

"Oh, shit! Its another one of them!" Maka took out her Keyblade as did Sora and both got into attack stance.

"Ah, the chosen wielders of the Keyblade. At last, we meet in person…" The tall figure told them.

"Look, pal… I dunno who you are or what you want with us but you're about to get a taste of justice! Ready, Sora?" Maka asked with Sora nodding.

"Fire! Blizzard!" The couple yelled whilst aiming their Keyblades at the cloaked figure. They both waited for the spells to come out and hit him… but after a few seconds passed, nothing happened. No spells at all!

"Huh!?" Maka was in shock – why didn't her Blizzard spell activate?

"Hey! There's no Fire coming out of the Keyblade!" Sora stated as he looked to see what was wrong.

"Hmph. It has begun." The tall figure stated as Sora attempted to attack him with one of the abilities that he and Maka learned on their adventure to stop Ansem… yet nothing was working.

"Why can't we do anything!?" Maka asked to no one in particular. She then looked down at the floor with a depressed mood on her face.

"I should think its obvious. The moment you both were sent in by our reserve member to this castle, you forgot every spell and ability you had learned during your little adventure against Ansem." The tall figure explained.

Sora and Maka were shocked by what they heard – so, that's why they couldn't use their spells or abilities! Wait… sent in by the reserve member… that means…

"So… that person who sent us to this castle… its one of your people?" Maka asked with a glare.

"Indeed. I do apologize for the sudden transportation… but it was necessary to bring you both here."

"Against our will?" Maka asked as the cloaked figure shook his head. "Not in the slightest. You two have a grand role to play in this very castle right here."

The couple looked at each other and both shared a look of confusion on their face – grand role? What was the cloaked guy talking about?

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sora asked.

"Simply put – something awaits you both in this castle. But in order to claim you two must lose something that is dear to you. That is the way of Castle Oblivion." The figure explained.

"Okay… I have no idea what you just said. At all." Sora admitted with Maka nodding – she was at a loss for words as well. "Then let me make it simple for you – in this castle, you'll be able to meet people that you've known in the past. And people that you both miss."

"People that we… miss?" Sora asked slowly before his eyes lit up. "W-wait! You don't mean… Riku and the King?"

"A-and Tsubaki and Master Makarov? Is that what you mean when you said that we'll meet people we've missed?" Maka asked with a hopeful look – she was hoping that she and Sora could reunite with their friends as soon as possible.

"If that's what you both truly want… If you truly wish to find the people that are close to you…" The man raised his gloved hand as a gust of wind and rose petals appeared. They were blasted towards Sora and Maka whom attempted to use their Keyblade to block any upcoming attack. What they failed to notice was the cloaked figure becoming transparent, flying straight towards them and passing through.

Soon, the wind and flower petals died down with the couple letting go of their guard. What in the name of- Wait, where did the cloaked person go!?

"Ahem." Ask and you shall receive – Sora and Maka turned around to see the cloaked figure standing by a door whilst holding a card.

"Hey, what the hell was that supposed to be!?" The figure in response to the question produced a blue card with a picture of a town on it. "I merely sampled both of your memories and I created this." He then threw it towards Sora who caught it in the nick of time and began to examine it. "A card?" He asked the cloaked figure.

"Indeed. This card is beneficial in the reuniting with those that you both seek. Hold it to open the door and then step into a new world. Proceed, Sora and Maka. To lose and claim anew or claim anew and lose… Enjoy the experience." The man wished them before disappearing into darkness much to the couple's shock.

After the cloaked man left the room, Sora and Maka let go of their guard but were still on the look-out for any more surprise attacks. The spiky-haired boy stared at the blue card that had the picture of the town on it and contemplated on what to do next.

Should they use the card to open the door and step into a new world? What if the cloaked person was lying about his and Maka's friends being here? Maybe this castle was just an illusion? So many questions… no answers.

"Sora… you're thinking about what to do next as well, right?" Maka asked as Sora nodded. "Should we do what the cloaked guy says or do we turn back?"

"Honestly…" Maka gave a sigh before continuing to speak. "I have no idea. For all we know, he might have been lying when he said that Riku, Tsubaki, the King and the Master are here…"

"And yet… maybe he isn't lying."

"What makes you say that?" Maka looked at him with a questionable look on his face. "I don't know why… but… for some reason, I can feel Riku's presence in the castle."

Maka scratched the back of her head and wondered how she should feel about that – Sora telling her that he senses Riku's presence in Castle Oblivion? That has got to be-

Huh… its really odd. Maka couldn't figure out how and why but for some reason she is starting to think that Sora isn't lying… In fact, her heart is beginning to detect Tsubaki's presence in this castle as well. Strange…

"Maybe… you're right, Sora. Our friends may or may not be here." Maka told him as Sora crossed his arms. "So… I guess I'm not going crazy. What do we do now?"

"We don't really have a choice in the matter, Sora… the only thing we can do is move on forward in the hopes that we might get some answers to this mystery."

"What if it's a trap though?" Maka already had her answer. "Then we face it together… no matter what."

Sora sighed. "Well… I guess its decided. Our decision is final?" He asked with Maka nodding immediately. "Yes. Let's traverse the dangers of Castle Oblivion and get our answers."

With a final nod, Sora and Maka stepped forward towards the door at the other end of the room. The spiky-haired boy looked at the card in his hand and then raised it in the air.

The door opened as a bright light was revealed. Not even getting blinded, Sora and Maka stepped forward in order to see what was on the other side.

To their surprise and shock, they found themselves in a familiar town – it was in fact the very place that the teens arrived when their worlds were destroyed by the Heartless.

"No way…" Sora began as he looked around.

"This is Traverse Town!" Maka yelled in disbelief.

"What you both see isn't real." A familiar voice explained as the tall hooded figure reappeared once again.

"You!" Maka summoned her Keyblade and got into a defensive position. Sora didn't but was on the guard.

"Welcome to your memories and the beginning of your new adventure, Sora and Maka!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Surprise, surprise! I've finished the chapter before writing the starting and ending Author's Notes. – Another finisher for me… as usual.
> 
> Sorry for the moody Author's Notes… I'm still annoyed at the fact that I can't get my writing passion in place mainly because I didn't get to write fanfic chapters these days.
> 
> Hopefully I'll start writing normally as soon as exams end and I get the hell to a calm and peaceful place in order to not deal with my evil relative which gives me so much hell.
> 
> Anyways, don't have anything else to say except for this – to the two guest reviews that continue to annoy me… PLEASE STOP SENDING ME REVIEWS FOR GOD'S SAKE! YOU BOTH ARE ONE OF THE REASONS I STOPPED WRITING FOR A WHILE! KNOCK… IT… OFF! Please.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and next part of Castle of Memories. I'll see you all in another fanfic chapter… until next time. Goodbye and Happy Reading.


	4. Chapter 3: Learning the Basics… Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Whelp, ladies and gents – welcome back to a brand-new chapter of Chains of Destiny! It’s been a while since I’ve focused on Sora and Maka’s story but now it’s time to get back into the flow… before I literally go on without writing again for a while.
> 
> In any event, I’ve moved almost all of my stories to AO3 and I plan to update there from now on… but who knows? I might come back and update my stuff on FanFiction.Net – we’ll see though.
> 
> In the meantime, let’s get this thing on the move! As usual I don’t own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater or Fairy – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Atsushi Okubo and Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 3: Learning the Basics… Again.

“A new adventure…? What are you talking about?” Maka asked as she continued to glare at the mysterious figure whilst being on her guard.

“Why are we in Traverse Town?” Sora asked with a glare as well.

The cloaked figure chuckled and then made a response. “This isn’t the Traverse Town that you both know – this is merely an illusion that was created by your memories that were engraved in that card.” He explained.

“Our memories…?” Maka slowly asked as the cloaked figure nodded.

“Indeed. If you wish to see your friends again, you must master the cards. Do it correctly and their strength will be yours.”

“Why exactly so we believe you…?” Maka asked with the glare still on her face but the figure just chuckled. “You don’t have to take my word for it. I might be lying or deceiving you… yet you don’t really have any other choice at this point. I can sense it in your hearts – you wish to learn the truth. To see if your friends are around in this castle.” He explained.

The couple was at loss for words on what to do in this satiation – they definitely wanted to find their friends but should they believe what this cloaked figure said to them? He could be lying or worse – sending them towards a trap.

On the other hand, where else would they go? If they turned back and walked away… they might never find their friends. Plus, losing their way was also a possibility.

Guess they didn’t have any choice – they should continue forward and see what happens.

“Alright. We’ll play your ‘game’ – for now.”

“No funny tricks though.” Sora warned the figure with a glare as he smirked underneath his hood.

“Good. Although the laws of Castle Oblivion require your friends to be transformed into cards, fighting and magic aren’t included in that category.”

“So… we won’t have to use some stupid technique on using and building a deck of cards to battle our way?” Maka asked in the hopes that she and Sora wouldn’t be using cards in a deck to proceed.

“Correct… but be aware that whenever you approach a door to a new location – you must have the correct card in order to procced. Battle the Heartless that you’ve fought so hard to get rid of during your first adventure and collect the cards they drop.” The cloaked figure explained once more.

“Check – anything else?” Maka asked.

“Yes. The cards are what hold power in this castle – the more you collect, the better you will become. Your abilities and strength will return every time you win in the battle against the Heartless.”

“Seems easy enough.” Sora spoke as he understood perfectly what to do in this situation.

“But be warned – from here on in, you both walk alone. If you wish for your friends to assist you, you must do so in battle – the cards apply for them except for fighting and magic.” The figure explained.

“I think we’ve got it… no funny tricks though.” Maka warned as the cloaked figure chuckled. “I maybe many things… but I never lie. Proceed forward, chosen wielders of the Keyblade… and do your best!” He declared before disappearing into the darkness again.

“What a jerk… I don’t like him at all.” Maka stated honestly with Sora nodding in agreement.

Crossing his arms, the spiky-haired boy spoke. “Well… we don’t really have any other choice at this point, do we?”

“Mhm… our only option is to continue forward and see if our friends are indeed in this castle.”

“Even if our resident cloaked guy is no doubt lying or leading us to a trap?”

“Especially that… Sora, I don’t like this anymore than you do… but we don’t have a choice. We’re to continue forward and see what happens.”

“Yeah… you’re right. Let’s get a move on.”

The couple moved onward as they started exploring and search for the door leading to the next section of Traverse Town – along the way, however Heartless appeared to slow them.

Luckily for them, they were just Shadows. So, it was over just as it had begun – in a matter of seconds or a minute. When they dissolved into dust, they dropped cards which were picked up by the couple. As they did, their strength slowly began to build itself back up.

A few Heartless and exploration later, they found a door that was titled: Key of Beginnings – Traverse Town.

“Guess this must lead to an important area in Traverse Town. Let’s check and see if we have the correct card…” Maka told herself before rummaging through her pocket to see if she had the card she needed.

Sora did the same in his own inventory but no luck unfortunately. As for Maka, she pulled out a golden-colored one and raised it in the air. The door reacted it positively with it and it opened all the way.

“So, where do you think this leads?” Sora asked.

“No clue… but we’re gonna find out now. Let’s go.” Maka told her boyfriend who nodded back.

They stepped forward into the light and once reaching the other side – they found themselves in the Third District of Traverse Town: the area where they fought against the leader of the Heartless for the first time. Plus, it is here where the couple met their friends: Donald, Goofy, Lucy and Levy as well.

“Hey… this is where we met our friends and fought that Armored Heartless for the first time, right?” Maka asked with Sora nodding.

“Yeah… although, I’ll be honest – fighting alone isn’t as easy as we thought…”

“Somewhat… I mean we’re doing a good job so far… but we could be doing better. We just have to give it our best… Ansem couldn’t defeat us and neither will this castle! We can do this!” Maka declared with a thumbs-up and a grin.

“Yeah… you’re right! We’ll do this by the book and survive Castle Oblivion!” Sora agreed with his girlfriend.

Both were unaware that at this point, four cards descended from Sora and Maka as they glowed in light completely. Getting behind them, they transformed into the companions – Donald, Lucy, Goofy and Lisanna.

“Whoa! What just happened!?” Lucy asked as she felt her head spinning from being transformed from a card.

“We haven’t a clue… the last thing we remembered- HEY, GOOFY!!! Where did you get the new clothes!?” Donald shockingly asked Goofy who was wearing the outfit that he wore when he first arrived in Traverse Town.

It wasn’t just Goofy who was surprised by that statement. “Donald, you’re wearing new clothes as well!” He declared as Donald looked at his outfit.

“Someone is definitely messing with us… where are we anyway?” Lisanna asked as she looked around but then her eyes widened – no… this couldn’t be true… no way…

“Sora! Maka!” Lucy yelled as the rest of the companions spotted their friends who were exchanging conversation. The couple heard their names and turned around to see who had yelled at them – to their surprise…

“Lucy! Lisanna!” Maka yelled as she rushed over to hug the two girls.

“Donald! Goofy!” Sora also ran to hug the dog-duck duo.

“Thank goodness you guys are okay! We were worried sick about you… when we didn’t find you at the campsite, we thought something bad might have happened. Where did you go?” Lucy asked.

“And more importantly – why are we in Traverse Town? How did we get here exactly?” Lisanna was the second one to ask that question.

“Traverse Town!?” Lucy, Donald and Goofy yelled as they immediately let go of hugging their friends and looking around the area – to their shock, it was indeed Traverse Town (mainly, the Third District).

“Gawrsh, how did we get here?” Goofy asked.

“We left Traverse Town far behind… yet here we are again!” Donald added.

“Guys… about that… we have to tell you something – it’s important… and a little hard to believe.”

“Huh?” Lucy asked.

And thus Sora and Maka began retelling the tale of how whilst relaxing by the campfire they were startled by a mysterious figure wearing a black cloak who knew of their exploits. After exchanging some cryptic words with them, they were sent flying via a dark corridor where they found themselves in a place called Castle Oblivion.

Their original plan was to leave the castle in order to continue the search for the people they were looking for… yet another cloaked figure (a male) got in their way. He informed the couple that they had lost all their fighting abilities and magic… everything that they had learned during the first adventure.

Next, he informed them of what exactly they were doing in this castle – a new adventure awaited with the promises of seeing King Mickey, Master Makarov, Tsubaki and Riku. Using his powers, the cloaked figure sampled the couples’ memories and create a card which depicted Traverse Town.

Soon afterwards, he disappeared and the couple contemplated whether they should continue onward or not… although, some doubts in their heads – Sora and Maka used the card and entered through the first door. Once stepping into the Traverse Town that they remembered, both were greeted by the male cloaked figure who explained some things regarding the laws of this castle and whatnot.

And thus… here was where the couple’s explanation ended. When it was over, all four companions couldn’t believe what they just heard.

“And… basically you’re saying that the King and Master could be in this castle?” Lisanna asked with Sora nodding.

“We’re still not a 100-percent sure if they are here along with Riku and Tsubaki… but we don’t have anywhere else to go.” Maka added.

“No leads also… this whole thing stinks.” Donald commented with his arms crossed.

“W-what if the King and the Master are here?” Goofy asked.

“It’s just a theory, Goofy. We don’t have any solid leads for now.” Lucy replied.

“Well… maybe-” Sora was about to say something before he was cut off by Maka whose eyes widened. “Pluto!? How did you get here?”

The group were surprised when they saw Pluto happily barking and running off to another area in Traverse Town.

“This is getting weird by the second…” Lisanna noted.

“How did Pluto get here?” Sora asked as he turned to look at Donald and Goofy who just shook their head.

“One minute we’re chasing and losing him on that green hill… the next – we see him again here!”

“Actually, didn’t we come to Traverse Town with Pluto originally?” Donald asked.

“We did… Lucy and Levy are witnesses!” Goofy agreed with his companion.

“Ummm… Funny thing about that…” Lucy stopped as she scratched her head in confusion before continuing to speak. “I have no clue, to be honest…”

“B-but… we remember!” Donald was going to say more until he scratched his own head with a confused look. “Did we…?” He asked.

“Possibly…?” Goofy replied.

“You know what… let’s just keep on moving. This is getting beyond frustrating and confusing… we’ll just have to find the answers to our questions on our own.”

“Along the way, we’ll take care of the Heartless that threaten us… we’ll get somewhere, I just know it!” Sora declared while agreeing with his girlfriend.

Everyone nodded before a familiar masculine voice interrupted them. “Continue with that talk and it’s the Heartless that will take care of you all first.”

“If you want to continue onward, it’s best you listen to us.” Another voice told them – it was feminine.

Two familiar stepped forward – it was Leon and Weiss! How and why were they here!?

“Weiss!?” Maka yelled in shock.

“Leon, how did you and Weiss get here? What are you both doing in Castle Oblivion?” Sora asked.

Leon was taken aback whilst Weiss crossed her arms and glared at the group.

“First off… how did you know mine and Weiss’s names? Second – Castle Oblivion?” Leon asked confusingly.

“We’ll have you know that this is Traverse Town… yet, you still haven’t answered our first question – who are YOU people?” Weiss asked with her glare still not going away – she was looking at the group suspiciously.

“W-weiss! It’s us! Sora and Maka! We met in Traverse Town when my boyfriend and I first arrived! We’ve fought in the tournament alongside Ruby, Yuffie and Leon!” Maka explained with the rest of the group nodding.

Leon and Weiss were stumped – they had no idea who these people were and already they were making up ridiculous tales. The two didn’t believe the group at all.

“Look, we have no idea who you people are… but Leon and I don’t believe you. At all.” Weiss stated.

“We’ve never even fought in a tournament – let alone against your group.” Leon directed the sentence to the couple.

“B-but…” Sora stopped talking as he looked down with a sad look while Donald and Goofy attempted to cheer him up.

Maka was also at a loss for words – Lucy and Lisanna were also trying to cheer her up.

Leon turned away while Weiss’s glare faded somewhat. “Look, we feel for you… but you’ve got the wrong people. Maybe you’ve all met other people that have names similar to ours. It’s just not us…” The brown-haired man spoke.

“It happens to everyone… even I forget things from time to time. Don’t take it so personally… I’m sure you’ll find the people you are looking for, Maka. Same goes for you Sora.”

Everybody froze upon hearing Sora and Maka’s names coming out from Weiss’s mouth – did she just…?

“W-weiss… you just said Maka’s name… Sora’s as well… you do know them!” Lucy yelled as a stumped Weiss and Leon looked at the group.

“N-now… hold on! How do I know your names?” Weiss asked with a confused look.

“Do you think Weiss is playing around?” Goofy asked any of his companions and Lucy was the one to answer. “I doubt it… maybe her memory is on the fritz just like ours is…”

Leon overheard the conversation between the two and immediately frowned while crossing his arms. “Who said our memories are on the fritz… Goofy, Lucy – you both need to-”

“Y-you just spoke their names!” Lisanna pointed out as Leon went quiet and crossed his arms.

“How is this possible… I’ve never met you all before…”

“I think they might be right, Leon… for some reason, my memory seems a little fuzzy. What’s going on exactly?”

“No idea, Weiss… Maybe Aerith was right about this.” Another familiar voice spoke – it was feminine as well.

“She was right to send us out to explore… guess we found what we were looking for!” Another female voice spoke.

Two girls arrived on the scene – they were familiar to the group… it was Ruby and Yuffie! They were no doubt here to assist Weiss and Leon.

“Aerith and Blake weren’t wrong this time… seems like the uncanny power came from Sora and Maka. We’d better take them to see Aerith and Blake.” Ruby spoke.

“Ruby… you know Sora and me? Along with our group?” Maka asked as Ruby nodded immediately.

“Yep-yep! Definitely know your names… even though we haven’t met.” Ruby stated with a grin.

“Ruby, Yuffie… you know who they are?” Weiss asked with a suspicious tone in her voice.

“Yep! We know their names even though we’ve just met… weird, yes – but convenient! We’ve gotta get them over to Blake and Aerith so they can explain what’s going on!” Yuffie replied as Leon shook his head while Weiss massaged her temples.

“How can you accept this situation so easily… you and Ruby are both carefree sometimes…” Leon stated with a frown but Yuffie and Ruby didn’t care. They both grinned without a care in the world.

“Anyways, we gotta get a move on before the Heartless attack again! Yuffie and I will go fill our friends on this situation… in the meantime, take this group to the hideout!” Yuffie finished speaking before running off.

“Later!” Ruby also finished with a salute and then ran off to catch up with Yuffie. Pluto also ran after the two girls.

“Ugh… those two…” Weiss spoke with a clear annoyance in her voice.

“Guess there’s no pondering over this now… You’d better follow all of us… if you have any weapons, be prepared to use them – the Heartless are roaming this town like there’s no tomorrow.” Leon stated to the group who nodded.

“Right… let’s get a move on.” Weiss ordered the group as they and Leon began to leave for the house where Aerith and Blake were staying.

While walking, Sora was talking with his friends. “So… what do we do now?” He asked.

“Honestly, we don’t have any other choices but to follow Leon and Weiss to the house where Aerith and Blake are… hopefully or not, they’ll be able to help us.” Maka responded.

“What if they don’t know who we are as well?” Goofy asked.

“No idea… but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now let’s see what happens…” Lucy finished the conversation.

The group continued onward alongside Leon and Weiss to get to the house in which Aerith and Blake were residing. With any luck, Ruby and Yuffie have no doubt gotten over there and started to explain about the situation.

All this time… everyone were unaware that they were being spied upon…

**_(Inside Castle Oblivion – The room with the Small Girl…)_ **

The cloaked man was watching the group navigate through Traverse Town with a smile underneath his hood – things had begun to progress. But there was still a lot more to do… both chosen wielders needed to be manipulated more if he and his allies had any chance of taking over the Organization.

He had worked so far and hard for this moment that failure wasn’t an option to him. Even since he was recruited by his Superior and the Organization, he always saw himself as more than just a simple member – a visionary, a master, a ruler… that’s what conspired him to begin this plan.

He wasn’t going to call it quits now… it was just the beginning of a manipulation game that-

The doors to the room cracked opened as a small girl stepped forward. “Y-you wanted to see me, Marluxia…?” She asked slowly with fear in her tone.

The cloaked man known as Marluxia turned away from the crystal ball to examine the little girl from top to bottom:

She had sea blue eyes and a pale complexion while her long blonde-colored hair was draped over her right shoulder with her cheeks being completely rose and her lips retaining a pale pink color. Her attire consisted of a plain, white-colored laced sleeveless dress and light blue sandals with flowers on them.

Marluxia’s smile didn’t fade. “Ah, Naminé… right on time. I trust that you didn’t have complications upon walking over to the room, correct?”

The little girl called Naminé shook her head and immediately responded. “N-no… just needed to check up on Solar and see how’s she doing so far…”

Marluxia gave a small nod – it was no secret that Naminé and Solar were never separated. Since the moment that they came to this world, they have shared a special kind of friendship that nobody dared talk about in this castle… except for Larxene and Axel.

“Understandable… I just thought that I should let you know that our work has begun. Your powers have drawn Sora and Maka to this castle… and the foundations for my grand plan have begun.” Marluxia explained as Naminé nodded quickly – she didn’t want to upset anyone lest they take their wrath on her or Solar.

“In any event… I expect you to continue doing the manipulating of memories in the way I intend, correct?” Marluxia asked as Naminé nodded again.

“Good. If you succeed… Sora and Maka won’t just be strangers to you anymore… the boy will be your prince while the girl will become your sister. Just think of how much happiness that will bring to you…” Marluxia told her with the smile still being his hood.

“I’m g-glad… V-very glad that I’ll have Sora and Maka…” Naminé told Marluxia who walked behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Yet… be aware… should you try anything to mess this up… death will be the least of your worries…” The cloaked man whispered as Naminé began to shake in fear – death… she was very scared of that… dying and not being able to live…

The cloaked man sensed this and just chuckled. “No need to fear, little Naminé… so long as you do as you are told, everything will be fine. Now then… back to the chair with you. Time to continue working…”

Not wanting to disobey Marluxia, the little girl walked over quickly to the chair and grabbed the sketchbook. She began working once more on making sure that Marluxia’s plan was successful – no matter what. Naminé didn’t want to die… she was scared!

After witnessing her return to working, Marluxia chuckled and resumed watching the crystal ball where the group had just arrived in the house. “Soon… very soon… both you and Sora will be mine, Maka Albarn! Once I’ve taken control of you both – Xemnas will be history and I will be the new Superior… the Organization will be mine! But in the meantime… let’s have some fun with the both of you.”

From the looks of Marluxia’s smile beneath his hood, things were about to take a turn for the worst… especially for Sora and Maka!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: And that’s a wrap for Chapter 3 – the start of the Castle Oblivion navigation begins next time on the new part. Can’t wait to focus on that… I’m gonna finish Chains of Destiny even if it kills me.
> 
> Looking at what I wrote in this chapter… I’m not really sure if it’s A-plus material. Granted, many would understand it… but I don’t know if it deserves a reward. I’ll keep trying my best to improve and hopefully in the near future – I’ll get better and better as I write more. That’s a promise!
> 
> So… a particular thing I want to discuss about this adaptation of Chains of Memories… I am not doing the card system thing. Why? Cause it’s a boring and dumb idea – learning and using the cards? That’s not fun at all… I mean, what was Nomura thinking when he made this design in the game? Fighting and using magic in the form of cards… plus, companions as well? It ain’t fun… at all. It has a good story but the gameplay with cards… na-da. Cutscenes will be all you need to survive this game.
> 
> The cards will only be used when summoning and opening doors… the rest: fighting and magic – the group will learn on their own. The more battles they win, their abilities and skills will return over time and get better. It’s a much better solution then learning the card thing. Trust me on this one, dear readers.
> 
> What else… what else… Oh, yeah – bear in mind that this story will be a little bit different than the original CoM… I have special surprises planned for our heroes. You’ll see.  
> Before I forget – I haven’t forgotten about Jiminy! Just having a hard time trying to put him into the story… and where exactly. In other words - *Figure out whatever to do with Jiminy-Ex-Machina.*
> 
> Yep… that’s just about it, I guess… After I post this, its back to moving stuff from FanFiction.Net to AO3… I’m nearly done. Just another story or two and finished!  
> That’s it for me, guys! Later and happy reading!


	5. Chapter 4 – Familiar Faces… from your Past!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: So… *looks at the last time Chains of Destiny was updated and eyes widened* It’s been nearly 4 months since I last updated the story which isn’t exactly very good news… So, let’s just pretend that the last update was over a week or month ago and move on… right? Guys… right!?
> 
> *sighs heavily* Honestly, I’m so sorry that I hadn’t had a chance to update the story… Writer’s block has literally destroyed me plus I lost the motivation for a while to do stuff… not to mention the MiSonya month I’m doing on Instagram. That’s right – I have an Instagram account where I post artwork with my OCs and whatnot! I’ll link it up after we finish the chapter.
> 
> On a serious note… I’ve just lost and dropped interest in RWBY completely. Mainly cause of the chaos, firing and harsh drama surrounding the community and whatnot. I don’t know if I’ll start watching the show again after V7… probably not. Might start looking for new shows… like Hazbin Hotel or Fairy Tail. Maybe Soul Eater once again. We’ll see.
> 
> In any event, I’m glad to be back in the writing for my main series! One thing I promise you all is that I haven’t finished Chains of Destiny or my other stories… I will finish them all… no matter the cost!
> 
> Let’s get on with Chapter 4 of Castle of Memories! I don’t own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater nor Fairy Tail! They belong to their respective owners!

Chapter 4 – Familiar Faces… from your Past!

With the gears of Marluxia’s plans spinning in the works, we go back to the familiar face of Traverse Town where our heroes are following the memory versions of Leon, Weiss, Ruby and Yuffie. Along the way, the group was keeping a good eye out for any Heartless that may appear from the ground to attack. So far, there were none… for now.

Eventually, the walk came to a halt as the group reached a house somewhere in the town. “Whelp, we’re here!” Ruby declared with a grin.

“This is the place we rented to live whilst keeping an eye out for the Heartless that pray on the weak. Aerith and Blake are no doubt waiting for us… hope we didn’t keep them waiting too long.” Weiss said as she opened the door to let the group inside.

Sora stepped aside and gestured for Maka to pass first. “Ladies first.” He said as Maka giggled and blushed.

“Thanks, Sora. You’re a sweetheart.” She replied before kissing him on the cheek and entering.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Lisanna just giggled as did Goofy while Donald just rolled his eyes and whispered to himself. “Show-off…” – Afterwards, they entered the house which looked just like the one that they originally visited in the Third District long ago.

Inside the warmth and cozy living room in the renting house were none other than Aerith who was sitting on a chair and tapping her fingers and Blake who was on the bed and reading a book of unknown origin. Eventually, the two raised their heads and saw that Leon and his group were back along with some mysterious strangers whom seemed very familiar for some reason.

“Hey, guys. You’re back… but who are they? They seem… familiar… but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Aerith, do you know who they are?” Blake who had an uncertain look on her face asked her friend but she just shook her head.

“Your guess is as good as mine, Blake. They do look familiar… yet we’ve never met them before.” Aerith answered while having an uncertain look as well.

“You as well, Blake? How is it that we’ve never met these people yet they seem familiar to us?” Weiss asked as Blake just shrugged.

“Maybe… someone screwed with our memories?” Yuffie suggested as Leon facepalmed.

“Yuffie, don’t be ridiculous… if someone screwed with our memories, we would have noticed. There’s no such thing as ‘screwing up our memories’…” Leon pointed out as Yuffie pouted a bit.

“At this point, anything is possible.” Ruby voiced her opinion on the matter as well.

“S-seriously?” The one who blurted this out was Sora who stepped forward as did Maka.

“Aerith, Blake – pardon how my boyfriend interrupted you both… but are you really sure you don’t know remember us? We’ve met before… when we first starting out our adventure against the Heartless.” Maka explained while keeping her fingers crossed that they might remember something.

Unfortunately that didn’t seem the case as Blake sighed while Aerith tapped her finger in worry. “Look… I don’t know whether Blake or I should say things like ‘It’s nice to see you again’ or ‘I’m glad that you’re all back safe and sound’ – but my point still stands… I don’t have a clue who you two are along with your friends. Yet I do believe that you two still look familiar.” The brunette woman explained.

“See? There’s definitely something wrong with all of this… maybe like ‘black magic’ or something!” Ruby suggested as Weiss shook her head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ruby… there’s no such thing as ‘black magic’ – although I do agree with Aerith. The two do seem kind of familiar… but why can’t I remember them well?” Weiss asked herself.

“B-but…! You do remember us…! We fought alongside all of you!” Lucy called out.

“Yea! We fought the Heartless and then Ansem!” Goofy agreed with Lucy’s line of reasoning.

“Can’t you at remember one little thing about us?” Lisanna asked – she was hoping that their Traverse Town allies would remember at least one thing about them.

“Well… you do have a point there… yet we still can’t remember you.” Leon stated – clear as day.

This made the heroes sigh in frustration and sadness – nothing was working. How could they make Leon remember- Wait… that’s it!

“Oh… I see… well, I guess you won’t remember what you told me Weiss. Way back in Hollow Bastion: We may never meet again…” Maka began and waited to see if Weiss would finish the sentence…

…which she did almost immediately:

“…but we’ll never forget each other.” Weiss’s eyes widened upon finishing the sentence.

“See? You do have it memorized!” Maka pointed out as Weiss was at a loss for words.

“Hold on a minute! I do remember you saying that, Weiss!” Blake stated as she came to Maka’s defense.

Weiss tried thinking of a good argument to resolve this issue… but couldn’t come up with anything. In the end, she just sighed heavily:

“I… guess it’s a possibility. I still have doubt about this whole ‘memory’ thing…” Weiss voiced out with Aerith speaking next. “I definitely remember you saying that even though my memory is on the fritz… I bet it has something to do with the hearts of these two… it’s like they are making us remember things that we aren’t supposed to know.” The woman explained as she pointed at Sora and Maka.

“Our… hearts?” Maka asked slowly and unsure – what did hearts have to do with any of this?

“Yes… it seems that yours and Sora’s hearts are filled with memories of us being together. They are resonating from the looks of things… maybe this is why we don’t remember any of you.” Blake explained.

“Whoa, Blake… if I understand you correctly, Sora and Maka’s memories are affecting ours?” Ruby asked with Blake nodding.

“So… their memories have somekind of power that we don’t know and its affecting ours.” Leon concluded as he went into a deep thought.

In the meantime, Maka leaned close to Sora and began to whisper. “It’s just like what that cloaked guy said a while back – this place is indeed an illusion.”

Sora agreed with her line of reasoning. “Yep… plus, this place was created from our memories.” He reminded her as she nodded.

“You both are searching for someone special, right?” Aerith asked as she interrupted the teenagers’ private thoughts.

“Huh? How did you-” Before she could continue to wonder how Aerith knew about what she and Sora desired, Maka then realized something. “Oh, yeah… I forgot. Our memories are resonating with yours and telling you what just happened. Yes… we’re looking for our friends and we sensed them somewhere in Castle Oblivion.” She finished explained as Leon and Weiss’s group wondered what the hell they were talking about.

“Ummm, what castle? This is Traverse Town, last I checked.” Ruby pointed out.

“Is this ‘Castle Oblivion’ close to the town?” Yuffie asked.

“Well, you see…” Sora was about to explain but gave up and sighed. “You know what? Never mind… we’re still not sure what’s going on here…” He said as Maka patted him on the back.

“Honest truth, we’ve just got here and we still haven’t learned anything at all… we wanna explore the town so more in order to get a better understanding of our situation.” Lucy explained as Lisanna, Donald and Goofy nodded.

“Alright, seems fair. From the looks of things, all of you are capable of standing your ground so go out and take a look around. Just be on your guard.” Leon warned them.

“Don’t let the Heartless get the jump on you.” Weiss also gave them a friendly warning.

“Thanks for the advice. Come on, guys – let’s go and explore!” Maka said as she and the gang waved their goodbyes and left the house to go and explore the rest of the memory-created Traverse Town.

“So… any idea where we should go next?” Sora asked – in all honestly, he was completely clueless on what to do.

“Honestly, no clue…” Maka replied as she gave a sigh and crossed her arms. “We won’t give up just yet, but- Hey, wait a minute… is that Cid?” The ash-blond teen stopped speaking as she spotted another familiar friend who was standing around in the courtyard and doing nothing – it was indeed Cid!

“Think he knows who we are?” Lucy asked.

“No clue… but its worth a try! Let’s go!” Donald replied as the group ran over towards Cid who just minding his own business.

“Hey, Cid! Long time no see!” Sora declared with a grin as Cid turned around to face the group.

The blond-haired man grinned while he chewed on a toothpick. “Well, whaddaya know – it’s Sora and Maka! Good to see you both again!” He stated but then froze and his eyes widened – scratching his head, he immediately turned into a person who was deeply confused. “Whoa, wait a minute! How do I know your names!? I never met you… though you both do look like a Sora and Maka… mainly cause of your clothes and looks, no offense.” He apologized whilst still chewing on his pick.

“No taken, Cid… and yes, that’s our names.” Maka pointed out as Cid grinned once again.

“Whelp, you do know my name! No surprises there… though it’s a mystery on who you both are along with your friends.” Cid explained – the group weren’t expecting any miracles but hoped that at least the blond-haired man would recognize them. No such luck…

Oh, well… back to the main topic at hand:

“Say, Cid… we’re looking for a couple of friends. We believe that they are in this town… have you seen them by chance?” Lisanna asked as Cid scratched his chin and spoke yet again. “Lost friends, huh? Dunno anything about that… but lately this town is overpopulated by more and more Heartless. Honestly… nobody is safe without running into Heartless every two seconds. In fact…”

The blonde stopped speaking as he chewed on his toothpick and then resumed. “…This plaza is a literal trap. Word is a jumbo-sized Heartless appears every now-and-then once the bell in the clock tower rings… if you value your hide, best find a safe place to bunk before everything goes to hell.” He finished explained as the gang began to wonder what kind of Heartless was-

**_*RING-RING-RING!!!*_ **

Crap! The bell… it rung! Everybody got into position and were on the lookout for the Heartless that was supposed to come out. In the meantime for Cid…

“Crap… not good! You kids better get someplace safe before things go straight to hell! I gotta go and check to see if anyone is outside!” Cid wished them their best, told them to run and stay safe before making running away to check and search for anyone that has left their homes.

“Gawrsh, maybe we should do as Cid says and run!” Goofy suggested as he took out his shield.

“No time for that now.” Lucy replied as she prepared her keys.

“Lucy is right… we gotta fight!” Maka stated and took our her Keyblade as did her boyfriend.

Donald took out his staff while Lisanna prepared her own form of magic ‘Take Over’. Just in time as pieces of a familiar-like armored Heartless fell from the sky onto the plaza ground. They connected together to make up the ‘Guard Armor’ Heartless – the very one that the group faced during their first adventure.

“Oh, great… not this armor again…” Maka stated with a groan.

“We don’t really have any choice in the matter… we need to fight it.” Sora replied.

“Only problem is that we don’t have any of our abilities or spells that we’ve learned… we need to use our wits and luck if we wanna win this.” Lisanna pointed out as the group nodded.

“Alright…” Maka took out a deep breath and then declared. “Let’s do this!”

The Heartless charged forward as did the group. Said armor began spinning its arms but Sora and Maka blocked its attacks which allowed Lisanna to use ‘Take-Over: Cat’ and slash the torso. Donald casted Fire while Lucy summoned Taurus who used his axe to damage the body a little. Unfortunately, the Guard Armor began to stop in anger as the group jumped back in order to avoid getting hit.

Guard Armor’s hands began to spin around yet they stopped as Goofy repelled them away with his shield which allowed Lisanna to apply ‘Take-Over: Penguin’. Turning into a penguin, she slammed her entire body into the torso. This made the Guard Armor shake a bit and then its entire parks disconnected. They all landed in separate locations.

“Now - while the parts are disconnected! Let’s strike!” Maka announced as the group nodded.

Sora and Maka had no problem with destroying the feet – in fact, it only took them a minute to do so. Lucy took out an arm while Goofy and Lisanna destroyed the other. Donald casted Fire at the torso which eventually regained its surroundings and prepared for another attack.

“Crap… it’s up and running once more!” Lisanna pointed out as she went onto the defensive.

“Don’t fret, Lisanna! We’ve got this!” Maka assured her as the ‘Guard Armor’ began to spin around everywhere. In the process, Donald and Lucy were knocked out much to the group’s dismay.

Soon afterwards, Goofy blocked the armor’s spin attack with his shield and allowed the Keyblade Wielders the chance to strike. Few moments later, Sora delivered the final blow just Donald and Lucy regained consciousness. Electricity sparked around the armor as it began to shake… until the head fell inside the torso. From the inside came out a glowing heart which flew into the air – immediately afterwards, the ‘Guard Armor’ disappeared.

The group cheered and congratulated themselves on a job well done – in addition, they remembered two or three abilities along with an extra spell: Blizzard. It wasn’t much but it was still a step up to recovering their lost memories.

After a minute or two of celebrating, the group came to a conclusion:

“I guess our friends weren’t in Traverse Town…” Sora started as Maka agreed and continued in his stead. “Seems so… I wonder if the cloaked person was lying about that whole ‘the people you miss, you will meet here’…”

“Maybe he was… but at this point anything is a possibility.” Lucy pointed out.

“I was thinking the same, Lu… maybe not in this town… but somewhere else in the castle. We gotta continue searching for them…” Lisanna said as the rest of the group nodded.

“Leaving already?” A familiar voice asked – it was Leon and the rest of the Traverse Town resistance.

The heroes nodded as Maka spoke up. “We couldn’t find our friends in this town… so we have to search the rest of the castle.” She explained as Cid snorted.

“The rest of the castle…? As in this whole town is a castle of some kind… oh, boy – that’s rich!” Cid stated as if he was telling his opinion on the matter.

“Maybe she’s right, Cid… we might not know what’s going on… but Sora and Maka’s group do. From the looks of things, they know more than they let on.” Weiss said as she defended the heroes.

“Honestly, its getting a lot more and more confusing…” Lucy admitted as Ruby smiled and gave her some words of comfort. “Don’t be like that… no matter what shape reality takes; I know you all can handle it. We haven’t met before… but you can do it. We believe in all of you.”

“Ruby…” Maka said softly and with a sad look on her face.

“I guess its time for us to depart… Sora, Maka… guys… take care and good luck.” Weiss wished them as did Leon before the two departed.

“Best of luck to guys!” Yuffie wished with Ruby and left soon afterwards.

Before leaving, Cid scratched his head in confusion. “I dunno why I’m so confused right now… but good luck with your quest and whatnot.” He told them before waving goodbye and leaving.

“Goodbye…” Sora said with a sad look as Maka touched him gently on the shoulder. “We’ll see them one day again… don’t worry.” She assured him with a smile but he just kept quiet.

“So… what now? Where do we head from here so we can leave?” Donald asked as the rest of the group were at a loss for words.

Suddenly, out of nowhere – an open door appeared for the group to enter. This made them very confused.

“Huh… where did this come from?” Maka asked.

“Gawrsh, maybe we shouldn’t go in… what if it leads to another part of the town? One we haven’t visited just yet?” Goofy asked as the group wondered what they should do.

In the meantime, Sora and Maka were having a conversation about the mysterious door that just popped up:

“What should we do?” Sora asked.

“Well… I don’t see a lot of choice… plus we don’t have the time for exploring right about now. Why don’t we take the risk and investigate the door?” Maka suggested as Sora began to feel uneasy.

“I dunno… seems risky. I mean… don’t get me wrong – we’re on the lookout and we’re smart… yet are we seriously wanting to enter a door that leads to who-knows-where?” Sora asked as Maka scratched the back of her head with an uneasy look.

Just as she was about to answer, the familiar forms of Blake and Aerith stepped forward to address the duo much to their confusion. Didn’t they leave with Leon and Weiss’s group already?

“Blake? Aerith? We thought you both left… what are you doing back here?” Sora asked.

Surprisingly, they didn’t answer the question… instead they talked about something else:

“Look… we don’t really have all the answers – but one thing that you both need to keep in mind is this: the town was created from your memories, right?” Blake asked as the couple nodded.

“Yes, but what does-” Maka’s question was cut off by Aerith’s sentence:

“If that is true, then this town is a figment of your mind… and so are we.” Aerith explained but this made the couple more and more confused.

“T-that’s doesn’t make any sense! You and Blake are standing in front of us – flesh and blood!” Sora protested with Maka agreeing. “Sora’s right! This town is real as well!”

“But its not… in your journey, you will no doubt meet other illusions. The shadows will no doubt attempt to manipulate your minds and lead you more and more astray… beware, Sora. Beware, Maka… you must be on your guard. Don’t let them deceive you.” Blake warned them but this again made them more and more confused.

“Then… what are we supposed to do exactly?” Sora asked with an uncertain look which made Aerith sad a little bit. “I’m sorry… I do not know… neither does Blake. The truth is out of our reach.”

“But don’t let the shadows deceive you… you both are strong to determine what’s right and wrong.” Blake explained.

‘Right and wrong’…? What does that even-

“Sora, Maka! You coming?” The familiar voice of Lucy asking this as the couple turned to look at their friends:

“Yeah, we’ll be there!” Sora called out.

“Just a second! Aerith, Blake… listen, we- Huh!?” Maka turned to continue asking Aerith and Blake more questions regarding the truth… only to find out that they disappeared… completely!

“Aerith? Blake!? Where did you go!?” Maka called out to them as did Sora who was just as lost and confused as his girlfriend was.

“What about Aerith and Blake?” Lisanna asked.

“T-they were here and talking with us… a moment ago!” Maka explained but their companion looked at them as if they were crazy.

“Ummm, Maka? Aerith and Blake weren’t here… they left with Leon and Weiss’s group a couple of minutes ago. When we noticed that you were standing around and muttering to yourself… we were getting worried. Are you both okay?” Lisanna asked with a motherly tone.

In the meantime, Maka was simply at a loss for words – for the first time in her life she was completely astonished by what just happened… memories and illusions being created and then manipulated… she swore on her very soul and heart that this was the weirdest day ever.

Sora was no doubting having the same thoughts and questions in his mind as well… just what exactly was going?

“Maka? Are you okay?” Lisanna asked after breaking the private thoughts of the ash-blonde teen.

“W-wha… Oh, y-yeah… I’m fine… just… frustrated over this day… in a-any event… where are we going?” Maka asked – she was still feeling a little confused and baffled by the whole ‘memories and illusions’ thing but kept quiet so as to not look suspicious.

Lisanna still had her motherly look on her face but decided to get back onto track:

“Whelp, Lucy and the boys have decided on stepping through the door. We really don’t have a lot of choice not to mention time for exploring… so, we’re taking the risk and checking out where the door leads. You and Sora coming?” Lisanna asked as Maka nodded immediately.

“Y-yea… Sora and I were discussing it and we don’t have a lot of choices… you head on. We’re right behind you.” Maka answered as Lisanna nodded.

The boys, Lucy and Lisanna stepped through the door with the last ones being Sora and Maka. The couple were still wondering what exactly that whole conversation with Aerith and Blake was about…

“Having the same thoughts…?” Sora asked suddenly as Maka nodded – she knew what exactly he was talking about.

“Yea… mainly Aerith and Blake… them disappearing and the group not seeing them… is this what they were talking about? Our illusions deceiving us and our minds?” Maka asked.

“Possibly… we’d best be careful. I don’t know about you but this castle is starting to feel a little bit… creepy.” Sora replied with an uneasy look.

“Yeah… luckily, I have you… my wittle spiky prince.” Maka teased with a grin as Sora blushed heavily. “M-maka! D-don’t tease me… you know how I get!”

Maka just giggled and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you - you know that, right?” She asked with the grin still on her face.

Sora’s blush continued for more than a couple of seconds before he just grinned and kissed her back. “Yep… I do. Now, shall we get going?” He asked.

Maka nodded and took his arms as the two entered through the door leading to who-knows-where.

**_(On the other side…)_ **

The couple and the group made onto the other side which turned out to be another part of the castle. However, the most surprising thing that nobody expected was the same cloaked figure that was waiting for them to arrive!

“It’s the cloaked figure!” Sora pointed out as the figure just chuckled under his hood.

“Indeed it is… so, Sora and Maka – how did you enjoy your trip through Memory Lane?” The figure asked.

“In a way… it was both good and bad… if you don’t count the memories and illusions deceiving us… yet, what do you want from us?” Maka asked as she prepared to take out her Keyblade.

“That’s very simple… all I want is the answer to this question: What do you both have to give in order to reclaim?” The man asked as he stepped forward while the group prepared themselves and took out their weapons in case a fight broke out. Deep glares were directed at the unknown cloaked figure who continued to walk towards them.

However, he stopped as a corridor of darkness appeared behind him. Coming out from the other side was a tall and slender man with bright red hair styled into slicked-back spikes, green eyes and purple tear-like marks under the eyes. Like the cloaked man, he also wore the same black coat… while on his face, there was a huge grin.

“Hello!” He declared with a grin as the group especially Sora whose face had the biggest glare of them all. However, Maka’s was a different story:

In fact, her face was that of confusion and baffling… that man… he seemed familiar… yet she didn’t know from where? Why did he look like she had seen him before… and where?

But she didn’t get her answers as the cloaked man just sighed heavily. “Now what do you want?” He asked with a bored tone.

“Hey, don’t be like that! Can’t have you hogging the heroes all day.” The red-haired man answered with the grin still there.

In response to the answer, the cloaked man raised his hand which held a blue card and threw it towards his subordinate who caught almost immediately.

“Perhaps you’d like to test them, Number VIII.” The cloaked man said before disappearing in a corridor of darkness.

“Indeed… perhaps I would.” The man known as Number VIII stated with a grin as he stepped forward and addressed the group. “My show now, Keyblade kiddos! Oh, who am I exactly? The name is Axel – Number VIII of the Organization! Got it memorized?” Said man now known as Axel questioned as he pointed a finger to his head much to the confusion of the group.

“Ummm… yeah… we do.” Sora answered with the confused look still on his face. But Maka was still at a loss for words.

 _“Got it memorized… that quote seems familiar… yet I don’t know from where… who is this Axel guy and why does he look familiar? It’s like I’ve met him before… but where?”_ Maka asked herself in her mind – she was very confused about all of this.

“We never forget names, Axel!” Lisanna called out which interrupted Maka’s private thoughts.

“Yeah!” Lucy, Donald and Goofy agreed with serious looks on their faces as Axel’s grin increased.

“Good… you’re all quick learners… now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little better…” Axel stopped speaking as he pulled out his two hands while lowering his head down. Then, he summoned two flaming chakrams, much to the group’s alarm as they got into fighting positions – from the looks of things, a fight was about to occur!

Axel raised his head with the grin still there. “Allow me to introduce myself… My name is Axel – the Flurry of Dancing Flames! So… don’t you go off and die on me now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Oh, boy… what a chapter that was! But its finally done… I’m so happy and glad that its over. But I’m gladder that I was able to finish it before my writer’s block returned immediately… if that happened before the chapter was finished… well… expect it whenever I get around to finishing it. Luckily I was able to finish it… and now I can get back to updating the rest of my stories.
> 
> Now, we’ve finally gotten to meeting Axel (My favorite Organization Boy XD – he definitely is!) – you might notice that Maka is finding him familiar along with his quote… if you’ve read the first story, you’ll see why… Plus, if that’s not enough – as the story continues, you’ll find out why Axel is familiar to Maka. In fact, you might be surprised. ^^  
> Now for my Instagram link if Archive of our Own allows me: https://www.instagram.com/minamarley_w.p._2001/?hl=bg – For those of you who are curious on what kind of art I do. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
> 
> Before we end, I again want to say that RWBY is being dropped immediately since it’s gotten repetitive to the point that its only about ships and whatnot… I mean, I love LGBT and whatnot… but insanity and crazy fights in the fandom is where I draw a line… so, yeah… I might focus on other shows. – Or maybe write a RWBY-inspired fic in my own vision. Who knows? – We’ll see.
> 
> That’s everything I have to say for now. Tonight I’ll focus on Warrior of Tenrou Island or another fic… we’ll see. I do have to update PokeHearts or Warrior though… my two main priorities.
> 
> BTW, I’m open for suggestions and criticism to my stories – don’t hesitate to comment! I’m willing to listen! – No hurtful comments though. I hate those…
> 
> And thus, I bid you all adieu! Before I leave, I wish you all Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Two days left until Christmas Eve and Christmas! Excited for them!  
> Until the next time, bye and happy reading!


	6. Chapter 5 - Heroes vs. The Flurry of Dancing Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: *Le GASP!* What is this? The author has returned for a long hiatus to recontinue the Chains of Destiny! My god, what a newsflash!
> 
> Jokes aside, sorry for the long hiatus – writer’s block and focusing on other crap really keeps me down… plus, MMD and requesting OC and Crossover art as well. Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to share the cover art for this story for those of you that aren’t aware yet. A special thanks to Sharkzero for doing it out of the kindness of his heart.
> 
> It’s just like in the spirit of a cross between Chains of Memories, Soul Eater and Fairy Tail – sending special credits to Sharkzero for this amazing piece of art!
> 
> Won’t bother you too much since I’m eager to continue this – as usual, I don’t own any of the series that I’ve included in the crossover (kinda of wish that I did though!) – They are owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Atsushi Okubo and Hiro Mashima!
> 
> (Update - cover art cannot be shown... so fuck. For those of you wondering, just head on over to this link to check: https://www.deviantart.com/sharkzero/art/Kingdom-hearts-and-Soul-Eater-Crossover-CoM-730101798)
> 
> Enjoy and get ready to immersed by the fight between the Heroes and Number VIII A.K.A. The Flurry of Dancing Flames!

Chapter 5 - Heroes vs. The Flurry of Dancing Flames

“Good… you’re all quick learners… now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little better…” Axel stopped speaking as he pulled out his two hands while lowering his head down. Then, he summoned two flaming chakrams, much to the group’s alarm as they got into fighting positions – from the looks of things, a fight was about to occur!

Axel raised his head with the grin still there. “Allow me to introduce myself… My name is Axel – the Flurry of Dancing Flames! So… don’t you go off and die on me now!”

With this declaration, the fight had officially begun as Axel sent his flaming chakrams towards the group only for them to get blocked boy Maka as Sora charged and attacked him with a couple of hits. The man with spiky red-colored hair jumped back a bit and re-summoned his weapons.

Donald casted Blizzard but it was no use since Axel had the power of fire on his side and melted. Luckily, this led him to lower his guard down as Lisanna used ‘Take-Over: Penguin’ to slam her entire body into Axel completely. He was sent crashing straight the wall.

Axel’s eyes were spinning and stars and moons could be seen rolling over his head – it made the group chuckle a bit before they returned to fighting. Since the man was disoriented, Sora and Maka attacked them with their Keyblades along with Goofy who used his shield to bash up the cloaked man a bit.

Unfortunately, these attacks allowed him to snap out of his disorientation and it made him very mad. “Oof! That was a dumb lucky trick! I WON’T FORGET THIS!” He yelled before powering up his chakrams and lighting them on fire.

Teleporting in separate parts and sending them flying towards the group, none of them were able to damage its targets since Sora and Maka mostly blocked with their Keyblades. In the end, it really made Axel displeased and decided on a new strategy.

He reappeared in front of Lucy and Donald before knocking both out with their guard lowered. The rest were surprised and angry that Axel resorted to cheating in order to win.

“That’s a low blow, you prick!” Lisanna yelled but her comment only made Axel grin in amusement. “Ha! I do whatever it takes to win sweetheart! Even if I’m cheating, I don’t give a damn!” He declared only for him to receive a famed ‘Maka-chop’ that made his head splatter like bloody volcano.

“HEY! That hurts!” He yelled while rubbing his poor spiky hair – Maka just smiled in smug satisfaction. “That’s for using a dirty trick.” She declared.

“Nice one, Maka!” Sora complimented.

Axel was done rubbing his poor head before grinning yet again and preparing to attack. “Still the same hot-tempered brat as I remembered.” He told her much to her surprise.

She was still on guard and ready to attack him but first a question. “How do you know so much about me? I’ve never seen you before yet you act like we’ve known each other for life! Who are you?”

This line of questioning only made Axel grin some more. “Boy, oh, boy! Superior wasn’t kidding when he said that your memories were on the fritz – though I’m surprised you don’t remember me! It’s a shame but that’s fine! We aren’t done yet, kiddies! Here comes Round 2!” He declared before sending his flaming chakrams towards the group.

This time Sora was hit and knocked back a bit yet Maka avoided the attacked and casted Fire at Axel who got some minor damage. Goofy sent his shield flying at the mysterious cloaked figure but he blocked it with his chakrams – his guard was let down yet again which allowed Lisanna to use ‘Take-Over: Cat’ and slashed Axel a little bit.

At this moment, Lucy awoke from her temporary unconscious nap and used her whip to make Axel slip on the floor. He crashed landed and became disoriented yet again – it made Maka, Lisanna and Lucy giggled a bit at the silliness.

Sora charged forward and attacked yet again. Afterwards, he combined efforts with Goofy and both used their weapons in an aerial takedown-styled combo. Unfortunately, this allowed Axel to regain consciousness again… yet he wasn’t looking too good.

_“Looks like he can’t keep fighting for much longer… we’ve got him now!”_ Maka thought to herself – there was a smile plastered on her face.

Axel powered his chakrams once more and sent them flying – albeit a little weak. Sora and Maka easily blocked them as Lucy summoned Taurus who attacked with his axe and knocked him back a bit. Donald regained consciousness and used Fire but it didn’t do much since Axel had the same power by his side. Now though Lisanna and Goofy teamed up and delivered a ‘Take-Over: Penguin’ and Shield Strike combo on the man who was knocked back even more.

“Not… gonna… lose…” He stated clearly but had difficulty standing up – from the looks of things, he was about to crumble any second now.

Sora and Maka didn’t give him an opportunity to regain consciousness – they delivered the final blow which made Axel blurted out. “Give me a damn break…” – Afterwards, he disappeared completely and all that was left was black smoke in his place.

The rewards that they received was Sora and Maka remembering the ‘Strike Raid’ ability that they used during the first adventure along with two new spells: Fire and Thunder.

Odd… Maka could slightly recall that both she and Donald had used Fire before in the battle against the Guard Armor and Axel yet she hadn’t remembered the spell due to the mix-up in memories. Guess the knowledge wasn’t truly gone before she acquired the spell properly… no wonder this place was called Castle Oblivion.

At this moment, a blue-colored card was conjured in the air before it gently landed in Sora’s hands – both he and Maka stared at it. Confusion was displayed on their faces…

“Another card?” Lucy inquired with the teenage couple nodding and Maka continuing to speak. “Not sure what this one is for… but from the looks of it, seems just like the one that was used to make Traverse Town.”

At this point, Jiminy Cricket came out from Sora’s hood and climbed onto Sora’s shoulder. “Probably another world based on your memories?” He pondered to his friends.

“It’s possible…” Maka admitted before sighing and continuing to speak. “Well, we don’t really have any choice besides continuing onward – our friends are still somewhere inside this castle and we need to find them quickly.”

Everyone nodded – they still had a mission to find the King and the Master along with Riku and Tsubaki. Now that Axel was gone they could-

“Wow, Maka – you sure do know how to motivate the people around you. What a smart cookie you’ve turned out to be!” A familiar mocking voice declared as the group gasped in surprise and shock.

Leaning on the wall next to the stairwell leading to the second floor was none other than…

“AXEL!” Lucy yelled as everyone got into a fighting position yet the man didn’t seem to mind or care that they were eager for another fight. He just grinned and took a few steps forward.

“Oh, come now, kiddies! Why the weapons? Did you seriously believe that after an introduction like that I would just give oh so easily? I mean come on… I’m not that easy to defeat and kill.” Axel explained with the smirk still there.

From the look of things, he wasn’t even injured or damaged that much – instead he was the same just like when they first met him a few minutes ago. Then they realized why!

“So… that fight… was a trick!” Lucy realized as the rest of the group agreed. “You were testing us!” Maka accused him as the man grinned once more.

“Indeed I was. And you all passed! Congratulations, Chosen Ones! With this test over, you are all now ready!” He declared but the group looked at him with confused looks on their faces.

Axel was amused by the confusion on their face and took in the pleasure for a moment before continuing his speech. “It’s time for you all to face Castle Oblivion! But be aware – you need to follow your memories as to not get sidetracked. Trust what you remember and seek what you have forgotten… then and only then will you all reunite with those that are special to you and your hearts.”

This made them even more confused since they had no clue who it was that awaited for them in the end… was it possible that it could be…?

“Wait… are you suggesting that we’ll find the King, Master Makarov, Riku and Tsubaki if we continue onward?” Lucy asked confusingly but Axel just chuckled in amusement.

“Oh, who knows? You may reunite… you may not… but I’m not saying a word. You’ll just have to give it some more thought as to who it is that is very special to you and Sora, Maka. Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach… but if you prove yourselves enough you may just find yours, Keyblade kiddos.” Axel explained only for Sora and Maka to give him confusing looks on why exactly them and them only – what about the rest of their friends?

They had people waiting for them as well! Why didn’t Axel mention them – only her and Sora?

“Your confused faces raise questions… allow me to explain – you both have lost sight of the light within the darkness. It seems that you’ve forgotten that you’ve forgot.” He told the couple yet they were more confused than ever.

“The light within the darkness…” Maka spoke softly which made Axel offer his hand. “Yep… if you want, I can give you a hint. But only if you truly feel that you need it…”

Both wielders were quiet since they had no idea what to do or say on this matter – should they accept this hint that Axel was giving them or just flat out refuse it and press onward without a care in the world?

“Maka, do you and Sora need it?” Lisanna asked with a worried look on her face due to seeing how quiet Maka was. Seconds later, the pig-tailed girl shook her head and glared at Axel. “No thanks, Axel! I’m not accepting any hints that you are giving me – neither do my friends as well! Right, guys?” She asked her friends.

They all nodded and glared at Number VIII. “That’s right! We don’t need any type of hints from you! We’re heading onward and nothing will stop us!” Sora declared.

All this talk made Axel grin in amusement – mainly at the answer he received. “Oh, good answer, kiddos! Just what I’d expect from you and your girlfriend!” He stopped for a minute as his face turned grim and serious. “But be forewarned… if you continue down this path and your sleeping memories awaken when the time comes… you all will no longer be who you once were.” He finished his declaration before he disappeared in the darkness.

His last and final words left the group baffled and confused… what did Axel mean by ‘You all will no longer be who you once were.’? Was… something bad going to happen on this little journey of theirs?

**_(Meanwhile…)_ **

A couple of floors up inside his bedroom, Axel was staring at the celling with his eyes opened and wondering about one particular person – Maka.

“How the hell did this come to pass?” He inquired to himself – yet there was no smirk or cold grin on his face. Instead, there was sadness and pity…

He never felt this way before… not since he lost his heart to the Heartless and becoming a Nobody. He didn’t feel any type of emotion since ‘Nobodies’ couldn’t feel a thing… yet why was he glad to see Maka after so many years? Probably because he was her babysitter when she was young alongside her sister… probably because it was fun to be around her and the teasing as well… or maybe… just maybe because he pretended to feel regret that he couldn’t find out if she was still alive or not after the fall of Radiant Garden happened.

Sitting up, he wondered what was wrong with him… he was a Nobody! No heart whatsoever! And yet… he pretended to feel emotions inside of him… or was it really pretend? He had no idea…

One thing was definitely certain though – Kukyo was indeed Maka’s Nobody. She looked so much like the mother… Goddamn it.

He needed some sleep to get over this constant feeling of dread that he was having in his mind – Marluxia wouldn’t bother him for another hour or so. Plus, he was glad that Larxene wasn’t around since-

Sadly, the nap wouldn’t come as someone appeared inside his bedroom – a young girl around the age of 14/15 with snowy white hair that was long with two bangs in the front and red eyes. Her attire consisted of a simple white t-shirt underneath a yellow sleeveless vest; a pair of red shorts and yellowish-black ballerina flats. A grey headband was visible on the top of her head which was holding the entire hair in place.

“Axel.” The girl spoke – her tone was a mix between confidence and softness. Axel turned to look at the newcomer and sighed – so much for a nap in peace. “Solar… to what do I owe the pleasure?” He inquired.

“Larxene wishes to talk with you… she has something that she needs to ask you.” The girl known as Solar replied which made Axel groan.

Yep… he was definitely not going to have some peace at all… damn Larxene. Ugh, whatever…

“Thanks for the message… behaving yourself, I take it?” Axel asked with an amused look as Solar frowned and glared at him.

“S-shut up… I won’t let you bully me… and if you try to hurt Namine, I swear that I will…” Solar’s threats didn’t faze Axel at all – if anything, it made it even more amused than usual.

“Duly noted – thank you for delivering this message, Solar. I’ll be sure to watch out… not! Beat it… you have a job to do.” Axel told her with a harsh tone as she pouted and disappeared in the darkness.

Alone in the room once more, Axel sighed once more and rubbed his eyes – definitely no sleep for now… what the hell does Larxene want with him anyways? Doesn’t she understand that even he needs some rest every once in a while…?

Goddamn it… oh, well – time to go and see what she needs. Probably another teasing or something… whatever it is, it can’t be good since it would be related to a person he hated the most – Larxene.

Once out of the bed, he disappeared in the darkness and the bedroom was empty once again as its inhabitant went to deal with whatever question or task was needed to be dealt with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Ba-da boom! That was the end of the next chapter to Castle of Memories – huh… I managed to finish it before heading off to eat. Lucky me… XD – but don’t think for a second that this is the end – We’ve barely even begun the Castle Oblivion arc and the fun is just starting!
> 
> So… for those of you wondering how Axel knows Maka – the answer is that they both knew one another before the fall of Radiant Garden many years ago (also, Lea was the babysitter for both Kairi and Maka alongside Isa – came up with this idea in another story that I’ve read on FF.net); Second is why Soul’s Nobody is a female – reason is because of me taking a page from the Book of Eibon… plus I’m a sucker for genderbend characters. Another reason being is because I think the female qualities would fit for Namine to have a female friend in contrast to a male one… that’s just me though.
> 
> Also, I told you I haven’t forgotten about Jiminy – plan to include him so more as the story progresses. Along with those special surprises I have in store for our heroes of Light – so evil and no breaks XD – Watch out for the true master of darkness!
> 
> Speaking of Solar… she has a lot of Soul’s personalities and appearance… but she is extremely a shy and more mindful individuals – also, she can hold her own since she is Soul’s Nobody. I’ll work on the relationship between Namine and Solar as the story progresses.
> 
> That’s all the things I have to say for now – I’ll be focusing tonight on Olette’s story or Wendy’s. Choices and decisions… the hell for me. XD – Actually, I still have to update that Lego Friends x Kingdom Hearts story that I’m working on as well. God, I have so much to update… 
> 
> So, yeah… that’s all for now – next chapter won’t be that far… but it depends on whether or not I’ll be able to focus on AO3 besides my other fanfic accounts. We’ll see in the near future.
> 
> Until then, dear readers – enjoy and stay tuned for more updated stuff! Adieu and goodbye!


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